Gonadal Hormone Correlates of Sensation Seeking and Anxiety in Healthy Human Females

Balada, Ferran; Torrubia, Rafael; Arqué, Josep M.

doi:10.1159/000118960

Cited by 21 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 19 publications

(32 reference statements)

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“…In this model, the Val/Val genotype would be associated with low estrogen levels resulting in higher risk taking/male behavior, which has been indicated by the high sensation seeking scores in Val/Val women in the present study. This explanation would be plausible since high estrogen levels in women have been previously shown to be related to lower thrill and adventure seeking scores in healthy human female subjects (Balada et al, 1993). Therefore, high circulating estrogen levels (eg, in pregnancy) would protect women against impulsive or risk taking behavior, which hasFto our knowledgeFnot been studied yet.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Gender-Dependent Association of the Functional Catechol-O-Methyltransferase Val158Met Genotype with Sensation Seeking Personality Trait

Lang

Bajbouj

Sander

et al. 2007

Neuropsychopharmacol

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The gene encoding cathechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) contains a common functional missense polymorphism (Val158Met) that regulates dopamine in an allele-dependent manner. A pivotal role of dopamine neurotransmission in the prefrontal cortex has been implicated in drug-seeking behavior and related personality traits, such as sensation seeking, with some evidence for a gender-specific association. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the COMT Val158Met polymorphism modulates the personality dimension, sensation seeking, in a gender-dependent manner. Study sample included 214 male (age 38.1712.6 years) and 218 female (age 36.1713.6 years) healthy volunteers, who were assessed with Zuckerman's sensation-seeking scale and genotyped for the Val158Met polymorphism (dbSNP:rs4680). Univariate analysis of variance showed that the sensation seeking score was significantly affected by a COMT genotype Â gender interaction (F ¼ 5.330, df ¼ 2, p ¼ 0.005). The Val158Met polymorphism was associated with the sensation seeking personality trait in women only. The highest scores in the sensation-seeking scale and in three of the four subscales were observed in female subjects with the Val/Val genotype relative to women carrying the Met allele. Our results suggest that high COMT enzyme activity associated with the Val allele predisposes to high sensation seeking scores in female subjects and add to increasing evidence for a gender specific role of COMT in normal and dysfunctional behavior.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Gender-Dependent Association of the Functional Catechol-O-Methyltransferase Val158Met Genotype with Sensation Seeking Personality Trait

Lang

Bajbouj

Sander

et al. 2007

Neuropsychopharmacol

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“…In addition, studies have found conflicting results on how these behaviors vary with circulating steroid levels. For example, measures of sensation seeking have been found to be negatively associated with estradiol levels in women (Balada et al, 1993), positively correlated with testosterone in men (Aluja & Torrubia, 2004;Aluja & Garcia, 2005), or found not to vary with testosterone in either sex (Rosenblitt et al, 2001). Thus, influence of steroids, through either organizational or activational mechanisms, on alcohol use, personality measures, or sensation seeking remains to be fully elucidated.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An association of early puberty with disordered eating and anxiety in a population of undergraduate women and men

Zehr

Culbert

Sisk

et al. 2007

Hormones and Behavior

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Eating and anxiety disorders are more prevalent in females, increase during adolescence, and are associated with early pubertal development. This study examined whether timing of puberty onset is associated with disordered eating and anxiety in a large sample of post-pubertal male and female undergraduate students. Self-report questionnaires assessed timing of puberty, disordered eating, anxiety, alcohol use, personality, and sensation seeking. Females scored significantly higher on measures of disordered eating (binge eating, dietary restraint, eating concerns, and weight and shape concerns) and anxiety (state and trait anxiety) than did males. In addition, early maturing women and men scored significantly higher on measures of disordered eating and anxiety than on-time or late maturing women and men. Measures of alcohol use, sensation seeking, and personality characteristics differed in males and females but did not vary with pubertal timing. Findings suggest that early puberty is associated with disordered eating and anxiety, and this association may be due to an organizational effect of pubertal hormones. Despite important differences in body fat composition, both males and females experiencing early puberty had an increased incidence of disordered eating. The fact that early puberty was associated with increased eating and anxiety symptoms in both sexes suggests that puberty may influence these symptoms through both biological and psychosocial mechanisms.

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“…Furthermore, pubertal hormone levels contribute to these events. Testosterone has been positively correlated with sensation-seeking in both adult males (Coccaro et al 2007) and adolescent males (Martin et al 2004) while high estradiol has been associated with lower levels of sensation seeking (Balada et al 1993) although pubertal changes have not been reported. Finally, testosterone levels during puberty are positively correlated with sensation seeking and concurrent drug use (Martin et al 2002) Although it is likely that hormonal events in both males and females contribute to the emergence of sex differences in addiction-critical behaviors, the study of pubertal influences on these critical developmental events is in its infancy…”

Section: Part 3: Sex Gonadal Steroids and Addiction In Adolescencementioning

confidence: 99%

The emergence of gonadal hormone influences on dopaminergic function during puberty

Kuhn

Johnson

Thomae

et al. 2010

Hormones and Behavior

102

105

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Adolescence is the developmental epoch during which children become adults-intellectually, physically, hormonally and socially. Brain development in critical areas is ongoing. Adolescents are risk-taking and novelty-seeking and they weigh positive experiences more heavily and negative experiences less than adults. This inherent behavioral bias can lead to risky behaviors like drug taking. Most drug addictions start during adolescence and early drug-taking is associated with an increased rate of drug abuse and dependence.The hormonal changes of puberty contribute to physical, emotional, intellectual and social changes during adolescence. These hormonal events do not just cause maturation of reproductive function and the emergence of secondary sex characteristics. They contribute to the appearance of sex differences in non-reproductive behaviors as well. Sex differences in drug use behaviors are among the latter. The male predominance in overall drug use appears by the end of adolescence, while girls develop the rapid progression from first use to dependence (telescoping) that represent a femalebiased vulnerability.Sex differences in many behaviors including drug use have been attributed to social and cultural factors. A narrowing gap in drug use between adolescent boys and girls supports this thesis. However, some sex differences in addiction vulnerability reflect biologic differences in brain circuits involved in addiction. The purpose of this review is to summarize the contribution of sex differences in the function of ascending dopamine systems that are critical to reinforcement, to briefly summarize the behavioral, neurochemical and anatomical changes in brain dopaminergic functions related to addiction that occur during adolescence and to present new findings about the emergence of sex differences in dopaminergic function during adolescence.

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Gonadal Hormone Correlates of Sensation Seeking and Anxiety in Healthy Human Females

Cited by 21 publications

References 19 publications

Gender-Dependent Association of the Functional Catechol-O-Methyltransferase Val158Met Genotype with Sensation Seeking Personality Trait

Gender-Dependent Association of the Functional Catechol-O-Methyltransferase Val158Met Genotype with Sensation Seeking Personality Trait

An association of early puberty with disordered eating and anxiety in a population of undergraduate women and men

The emergence of gonadal hormone influences on dopaminergic function during puberty

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